Easter is early this year – April 5 – and the opportunities to prepare for and celebrate at Holy Family Retreat Center in West Hartford are many.

Submitted photo

Submitted by Kathy Colello, Holyt Family Retreat Center

For those wishing to enter more deeply into this most sacred of Christian holy days, there is the Holy Week Triduum Retreat: The Path of Transformation, which starts on Holy Thursday, April 2, and runs through Holy Saturday, April 4.  Led by Holy Family’s beloved Retreat Team, this silent retreat offers a peaceful and reflective way to experience Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.  There are two options – Thursday dinner through Saturday brunch ($295) or Thursday dinner through Saturday dinner and the 8 p.m. Easter Vigil Mass ($325).

Everyone, of course, is welcome to take part in the following Holy Week services at Holy Family:

• Holy Thursday, April 2, Commemoration of the Lord’s Supper at 8 p.m.
• Good Friday, April 3, Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion at 3 p.m., Taize Evening Prayer Service 7:30 p.m.
• Holy Saturday, April 4, Easter Vigil Mass at 8 p.m., followed by a reception
• Easter Sunday, April 5, Mass at 10:30 a.m.

Other things to keep in mind are Easter Mass cards and the Gift Shop at Holy Family.

Easter Mass cards, unlike Mass cards that are typically offered for deceased friends and loved ones, are offered for the living, as a type of friendly greeting that includes the gift of prayer. For more information or to purchase an Easter Mass card or other type of Mass card, contact Mary Ellen Mosher at 860-521-6709 or order online atwww.holyfamilyretreat.org.  The Gift Shop at Holy Family is a charming little shopping oasis with unique gifts that include scarves, totes, books, cards, CDs, candles, soaps, Passionist coffee and more.  If you’re looking for a special First Communion or Confirmation gift, there’s a great selection of children’s bibles, rosary beads, religious medals, and inspirational books.

After Easter, Holy Family invites you to its annual Easter Concert on Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m.  The concert features the regular choir, chamber choir, handbell choir, and children’s choir, along with instrumentalists and soloists.  The offering to attend is $35 and includes a reception following the concert.

Holy Family Retreat Center is located at 303 Tunxis Road in West Hartford.  For more information or to register for programs and events, call 860-760-9705 or visit www.holyfamilyretreat.org.